Stones & Stories
Stones & Stories is a community arts initiative led by Transported, engaging rural communities in Lincolnshire through creative activities that celebrate local heritage, stories, and natural spaces.
Artist
Marion is originally from Hamburg, Germany and made England her home in 1997. She is passionate about people, the arts and creating inspiring experiences for all. Marion started out as a set designer and is now a multi-media maker and project leader. She loves to work with communities, organisations, venues and fellow professionals to bring the arts into people’s lives. Marion also makes ceramic, glass and multi-media pieces for pleasure, exhibition and to commission.
The project is led by Lincolnshire-based artist Marion Sander and collaborates with local artists, churches, schools, and community groups to create artistic installations and events that foster connections between people and place.
Project Aims
- To develop partnerships with local organisations, ensuring wide-reaching impact and sustainability.
- To engage rural communities in creative activities that celebrate their heritage and environment.
- To enhance community cohesion through participatory arts projects.
- To create lasting artistic installations that reflect the stories and traditions of each location.
Events so far
holbeach – all saints church (800th anniversary)
Stones & Stories launched at All Saints, Holbeach, marking the beginning of the church’s 800th anniversary celebrations.
Artist Marion Sander led Stories of Light, a lantern-making activity where participants created ceramic tealight holders inspired by modern-day saints and Holbeach’s history. The anniversary year began with a beautiful Candlemas service led by Bishop Nicholas, followed by birthday cake and prosecco, and the first activity of this special community project.
Workshops have also taken place at Tonic Health in Holbeach during summer 2025, where young people created clay and cardboard lanterns. These lanterns, alongside others made earlier in the year, will all come together in a community display on All Saints Day (1–2 November 2025), culminating in a service led by Bishop Stephen.
moulton – all saints church
At Moulton’s Springing into Life Easter celebration in April 2025, Transported delivered Birds of Clay.
Families created clay birds inspired by species found in the churchyard.
This family-friendly event also included crafts, quizzes, and an Easter trail, and brought Stones & Stories further into South Holland’s villages.
whaplode – st mary’s church (900th anniversary)
At Acoustic Nation’s Homegrown event, residents created cyanotype pennants for a community bunting.
In September 2025, Marion and the Transported team delivered workshops to Whaplode Primary School to produce air-dry clay sculptures of gargoyles & grotesques, rubbings, and drawings inspired by the church’s architecture and history
Their amazing creations, and the community bunting, were then displayed in an exhibition in the church St Mary’s 900th anniversary weekend celebrations on the 5–7 September.
HOLBEACH ALL SAINTS
Over October 2025, Marion delivered a series of creative workshops to the Holbeach community, inspired by a task from our Art Road Trip project. Using coloured acetate, participants drew their favourite parts of the Holbeach area, contributing to a collaborative “stained glass” window installation.
On 2 November 2025, the completed artwork, along with a large lantern display, was unveiled inside the church during the Sunday service, showcasing the creativity of local school students and the wider community.
future developments & opportunities
- Expansion of artistic interventions, such as mould-making for permanent installations and sandblasting techniques for heritage trails.
- Integration of stained-glass-inspired elements into ceramic artworks.
- Development of case studies on community engagement and placemaking.
- Further collaborations with local artists, schools, and community groups to expand the project’s reach.
get involved!
Stones & Stories is ongoing throughout 2025. We invite residents, schools, and community organisations to join us in shaping these projects. Whether through hands-on creative activities, sharing local history, or supporting event planning, there are many ways to be part of Stones & Stories. Keep an eye out for upcoming workshops and public engagement sessions.
For more information and to stay updated, follow Transported on social media or visit our website.